Sometimes memorials become overwrought, but this isn't one of them. The sunken setting isolates observers and manages to remove us from the outside world and focus our attention. Thus closed in, the long memorial hall has the sense of a vortex. It is so simple and yet overwhelming. The inability to step away or escape is fittingly thrust back onto... More

Pay attention to the every wall, ceiling and ground. You are walking in a piece of art dedicated to those affected in the Holocaust. The whole memorial is at one level below ground. It gives you the feeling that you are trapped. The inside chamber is very moving. You will see closed gates and small windows with bars. When existing... More

i first visited the deportation memorial in the mniddle or late 80s. i have been going back to paris each june since 2008 and each time this memorial is not open but padlocked up. it is one place, when i enter, i weep. all those points of light. all those unreturned, for no apparent reason except for hatred and bigotry.... More

Last fall, I was in Paris for a few short days. Having visited before and seen the BIG stuff, I asked my friend Sylvie (a Parisian) what I must see while in town. "Absolument~Memorial des Martyrs. C'est formidable," she replied. I strolled down thru the Marais, crepe in hand...found my way to what looked like an abandoned building. There were... More

This is located behind the Notre Dame. It is small and little known to most Paris visitors. It is however Paris's memory of the war and holocaust. Don't miss it if you are at Notre Dame or visiting Ile St Louis.

This moving memorial to the French that were deported to Nazi camps during World War II is a worthwhile stop on your trip to Paris. The memorial is located right behind Notre Dame in a little park on the end of the island. It is a somber reminder of the personal role that France had during World War II. Tip:... More

On my third trip to Paris, I finally wandered back to this memorial on Île de la Cité behind Notre Dame. It is tucked away at the point of the island. The surrounding gardens and view of the Seine are peaceful. I would follow other people's advice and only enter the memorial at a calm time - one without a... More

The memorial is a rather simple, stark, bleak,cold, crushing, and unfeeling way to honor the 300,000 that were deported. You feel the walls closing in upon entry. The approach is a 180 from the humanity of the Ann Frank House, but both approaches are horribly effective in driving home the point.

Tucked away in a park at the far end of Nôtre Dame the memorial is appropriately stark and jarring. However if it's busy then you lose much of the effect and can end up just trailing around behind noisy people who are only there to tick it off some list.